


And They Were Roommates

by delicateloser



Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, risqué content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-27
Updated: 2018-01-27
Packaged: 2019-03-10 04:39:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13495122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delicateloser/pseuds/delicateloser
Summary: 'it turns out I don’t have any problem with Eddie kissing guys if it’s me he’s kissing.'(a roommate reddie AU based off of a true reddit post!)





	And They Were Roommates

_‘Hey, reddit! got a bit of a question for ya. I’m a little stumped. see, I’ve always thought of myself as an accepting person. That’s why I didn’t care when my roommate, I’ll refer to him as Eddie, told me that he was gay. Or I thought I didn’t care.’_

He and Eddie Kaspbrak had been roommates for three or four months now. When Eddie first told Richie that he was gay, he really _didn’t_ care. He tried to be supportive, even. He considered himself a very accepting person, always had been. He hadn’t exactly been cool in high school - and thanks to that, he spent time with a lot of kids who didn’t quite fit in, for one reason or another. And being gay was something Eddie was mocked for, but it never bothered Richie at first. Sometimes, they even flirted a little. Eddie had told him it wasn’t unusual for him to flirt with a straight guy, so nothing about it was weird.

They played video games, they laughed, and Eddie was _so witty_. He had a comeback for everything. He also thought that Richie’s voices were _funny_ , it was incredible. He even let out the adorable little giggle every time Richie would call him ‘Eddie Spaghetti’. Everything was just fine. Peachy, really. That is, up until the first night Richie came home to find Eddie sitting in some guys lap on the couch. His instantaneous reaction was disgust.

“I thought you’d be out longer!” Eddie insisted, and Richie felt like he was going to be sick to his stomach. “I’m really sorry, Rich.”

“It’s fine. I just didn’t expect to walk in and see you all– tongue down your throat on the couch!” Richie said in exasperation, and it caused both of them to blush and look away from one another.

_'I don’t know how to describe what it was like walking in on them, all I could think was that I was going to be sick. Eddie was embarrassed but I tried to tell him it was okay, that I was just embarrassed too. Because there was NO good reason for me to have that sort of reaction.’_

Richie had convinced himself that it was because he’d been so shocked to see it. He’d just never seen something like that. That heavy, and between two men. He didn’t want to think it was because he could be grossed out. But after a couple more incidents, walking in on Eddie and a few different guys throughout the weeks, Richie was completely on edge. It made him uncomfortable. He couldn’t stop thinking about what might happen when he wasn’t here. What those guys were doing to Eddie, and what he might be doing to them. It made him anxious and ill. One such occasion he came home just as some guy was parading around without a shirt on.

They briefly made eye contact, and Richie felt his grip tighten on the door handle. “Hey Rich,” Eddie called from the kitchen area, where he stood sipping coffee, the stranger’s oversized shirt on him and hanging off of one shoulder. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything. His eyes flickered back to the other man.

“Shouldn’t you be leaving?” He asked, in an unusually snippy tone, and the man laughed, before realizing Richie was serious. “I’m home. That’s usually the cue for fuckbuddies to fuck _off_.” He said, and he wasn’t looking at him, but he practically heard Eddie’s jaw drop. The man simply put his hands up in defense, slipping his shoes on, as well as his coat. Eddie moved to put his coffee down and tug at the shirt, but the man - who was still just a stranger to Richie - replied 'keep it’, before going out the door.

“Good riddance,” Richie called after him as he slammed it behind him, and threw his bag down on the couch, flopping down beside it.

“You’re a fucking asshole,” Eddie said, and finally Richie looked at him in time to see the absolute fire in his eyes; if looks could kill, he’d be a dead man. “Why did you do that? I liked him. He’s never going to come back here after you behaved like that- like you’re my _father_.” Eddie said, and Richie cringed at such a comparison. He didn’t know why but it struck him in a way he really didn’t like.

“It’s my dorm too, Eds. When I come in, I shouldn’t have to see that.”

“You mean like _I_ had to see your little 'friends with benefits’ thing with that girl? What was her name? Beverly..? I didn’t give you any shit for it.” Eddie didn’t think it was fair, starting to get worked up as his breathing got heavier. Richie felt bad. He glanced around quickly to find his roommate’s inhaler on the coffee table, just in case, and handed it to him. Eddie’s expression softened at the gesture.

“Look, Eds.”

"Please _stop_ calling me that.”

“Eddie, then, I’m sorry. I’ve had a really long day. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but you’re right. I’m being an asshole.”

Eddie just scoffed in reply, “I’m going over to Bill’s. I’m so fucking upset at you right now,” he leaned over where Richie’s legs were sprawled out, shoes on the table, (something Eddie _hated_ , which was the reason he chose to do it) to grab his sweater from the arm of the couch. Richie’s eyes only left the exposed skin of the other’s shoulder when the shirt Eddie was wearing rode up to reveal a small strip of waist. The smaller of the two looked back in time for them to lock gazes. “And you won’t care if I go have sex with him at his place, right?” He asked in a way that made Richie’s stomach drop, “Just so long as I don’t do it here?”

“It’s not my business what you do at someone else’s place, Eds.” Richie swallowed as he looked away. Just thinking of Eddie going somewhere else to fuck some guy made him feel like he was going to be sick.

"It’s Eddie.” The door slammed behind him.

_'I don’t know what to do. I’ve never been homophobic, but for whatever fucked up reason, I’m being totally homophobic and shitty to my roommate. Is it because I’m okay with gay people but not living with them? What gives? Any advice would be great. I’m at a fucking loss here, and if I can’t figure it out I’ve decided the best option is to switch rooms. I don’t want to hurt Eddie more than I have already. Thanks!’_

The moment Richie hit send, he was filled with regret. Would people find him hateful? Would they tell him to find a new roommate immediately..? Eddie deserved so much better, and he knew that. Not some homophobic creep. People online would agree. He felt nauseated again as he rose from his desk, but the pinging of a message brought him back. Already? He was cautious when he checked the message.

_'are you sure that weird feeling isn’t jealousy..? I mean this only seems to revolve around Eddie specifically.’_

He stared at the message in confusion. Jealousy? Not possible.

“Not sure what I’m meant to be jealous of. Sure he has a more active sex life than I do, but freaking out over that would just be _irr-ation-al_.” He muttered what he was typing in the reply aloud to himself. Once he had hit send, he tapped his fingers on his desk loudly, knee bouncing a bit. Jealous. Huh.

Richie left the post up and decided to talk to Beverly about the situation. As previously complained about by Eddie, the two of them had tried the whole 'being together’ thing at one point. It became clear very quickly that they were meant to just be friends.

_'So I read some of your comments, and I talked to my best friend about the whole thing. She agrees with everything you’ve said, and has called me an oblivious walnut.’_

“You oblivious walnut,” Beverly pushed Richie in the arm, having just finished reading the original post he put together, “you’re _actually_ just joking, right? Rich, you’re in love with him. And he’s in love with you too.”

“What?” Richie wasn’t sure he heard that correctly. “How?”

“Here you mentioned how when you told him you didn’t care who he slept with, he got even _more_ upset. Also,” she glanced back at him over her shoulder, “why would he bring up you and I? Sounds like he’s been _trying_ to make you jealous, Richie.” She smirked, and he pushed his glasses up on his nose as he tried to think about just how plausible this all really was. It still didn’t make sense. Even well after Beverly had gone he was just pacing and scratching his head.

 _'I spent a few days sitting on my ass trying to think about how to rationalize this to myself, or worse, to Eddie. It could really ruin our friendship. And if I_ didn’t _say anything and he got a boyfriend, I didn’t think I could handle it. So I told him. During a Tarantino marathon we had - because nothing says romance like graphic violence, am I right?’_

Richie drummed his fingers on his thigh as the diner scene from 'Pulp Fiction’ played on their shared tv in the dorm room. Eddie sat beside him, his knees pulled up on the couch; and while his interest was in the movie, Richie couldn’t keep himself from glancing over at him repeatedly. It had been three days since his realisation, and he didn’t know that he could keep his mouth shut that much longer. Or any longer at all. In fact he felt like he was going to explode holding in the information.

“Eddie?”

“Yeah, Rich?” His eyes didn’t leave the movie, and Richie fidgeted a bit as he turned his body toward him on the couch.

“I’m sorry for being such a dick lately.” He told him, and finally Eddie looked at him, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Let me finish,” Richie continued, already foreseeing the sassy remark on his roommate’s tongue, “I was acting that way because I… I’m jealous.” He finally admitted, letting out a nervous chuckle. Eddie watched him carefully, tilting his head.

“Like _you_ would have trouble finding people to sleep with, Rich,” he replied, giving him a smile that didn’t appear to reach his eyes. Richie shook his head.

“No, Eds, I’m trying to say that… oh, shit.” Richie muttered, voice shaking a little with anxiety. Eddie could sense this, and his smile faded as he focused on him. “I’m not jealous of you. I’m jealous of the boys you bring home.”

_'We had a loooong talk. Eddie revealed that his flirting had always been real. But he never imagined it would go anywhere, because I was just the oblivious “straight” guy. He got a real kick out of the fact that I had mistaken jealousy for homophobia. He laughed quite a bit. Man, his laugh is cute.’_

“How the hell can someone be jealous for _that long_ without even knowing they’re jealous?” Eddie teased, and Richie let out a laugh.

“Denial..? Stupidity, maybe?” He offered up in suggestion, and Eddie giggled again, a sound that was music to Richie’s ears. They laughed for a good few moments, but when finally it died down, they were left staring at each other in silence.

“You think we should.. kiss?” Richie finally asked, to which Eddie looked away almost bashfully - and Richie realised he had never seen him so open and vulnerable before. He had a usual sort of confidence around him that impressed Richie; but he was curious about what else there could be, too. It was like meeting him again for the first time.

 _'So we kissed and… to be honest, I’ve sort of never stopped wanting to kiss him since. We’ve gone on dates. It’s so different now, though, going to all of our favourite places but with new context. And the kissing- did I mention the kissing? Yowza! Even last night when he almost burned dinner, because he just_ had _to kiss me, I mean, I can’t keep his hands off of-’_

Richie stopped typing to laugh as his boyfriend was batting at his arm.

“You were the one who pulled me away from the stove!” Eddie giggled beside him, and Richie feigned offense.

“Excuse me, this is my story, Edward.” He told him, expression serious as he moved his hand over his heart, “And I won’t have you lying to all of these fine people.”

“Alright, jackass, but when you’re ready to _really_ continue the story, I’ll be in your bed.” He smirked as he stood, and Richie glanced at him for a moment, before snickering and looking back to the laptop. “… Naked.” Eddie added when he didn’t get the response he wanted, before disappearing from the living room space.

“Oh shit,” Richie breathed.

_'okay WELP, I’m cutting this short. Thank you guys for all your help! In conclusion… plot twist! It turns out I don’t have any problem with Eddie kissing guys if it’s me he’s kissing.’_

With that, Richie hit send, and slammed the laptop shut; already pulling his shirt off as he dove onto his bed beside _his_ giggling Eddie Spaghetti.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed!


End file.
